CHRIST-STÉPHANE BOIZI QUINTET

SoundCellar and Tomorrow’s Warriors collaborate once again to present the outstanding Christ-Stéphane Boizi Quintet

This gig will take place at The Grasshopper,
139 – 141 Bournemouth Rd, Poole BH14 9HT.

Trombonist, composer, bandleader, and a Tomorrow’s Warriors Emerging Artist, Christ-Stéphane Boizi is already making his mark on the London jazz scene, but his reputation is set to soar with the news that he has signed to Mark Kavuma’s Banger Factory Records label, with his debut LP As The Spirit Leads scheduled for release later in the year.  

Boizi’s sound is steeped in the hard bop tradition – carrying influences of the legacy of by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Horace Silver, and Jackie McLean. With his compositions he creates his own a sonic exploration of his close personal connection to the music of the Black Christian Church together with that hard bop sound.

Christ-Stéphane is also member of the acclaimed Nu Civilisation Orchestra, and was a featured soloist in Mississippi Goddamn, a celebration of Nina Simone at the Royal Festival Hall, he has also performed with Brazilian maestro Arthur Verocai at the Barbican.

SoundCellar regulars will also get to see Christ-Stéphane, saxophonist Lauren Breen and the return to SoundCellar of Sula’s pianist Kezia Abuoma, here in Poole a month before, when they perform in our latest SoundCellar/Lighthouse Studio Jazz collaboration presenting Ankora feat Breen & Boizi on Fri 23rd October (details on our website front and gig pages).

This performance is part of Tomorrow’s Warriors’ Warriors Rise initiative, which sees the acclaimed jazz talent development organisation support three emerging Warriors’ artists, including Christ-Stéphane, across a seven-date run of UK gigs, providing tour planning and marketing mentoring.

Warriors Rise is supported by Music Venues Trust in association with Liveline and the LIVE Trust, the Stanley Thomas Johnson Foundation and is a  PRS Foundation Talent Development Network Partner initiative supported by PPL.

About Tomorrow’s Warriors

If you know your UK jazz, then you probably already know Tomorrow’s Warriors. For the last 35 years, Tomorrow’s Warriors has played a vital role within its community and the wider music industry and has been credited with literally changing the face of UK jazz.

Free access to Tomorrow’s Warriors artistic programme has proved crucial in nurturing the nascent talent and early careers of so many of the most exciting UK artists currently tearing up the international jazz scene including Mercury Prize 2023 winners Ezra Collective, Moses Boyd, Nubya Garcia, Shabaka Hutchings and Sons of Kemet, ESKA, Jason Yarde, Denys Baptiste, Robert Mitchell, Soweto Kinch, Shirley Tetteh, Byron Wallen, Mark Kavuma, Sultan Stevenson, CHERISE, Donovan Haffner…the list goes on.

Tomorrow’s Warriors offers a pioneering, comprehensive programme of learning and training which champions and supports young Black and female talent and those who come from challenging circumstances that would be a barrier to accessing opportunities to pursue a music career.

“Tomorrow’s Warriors occupies a unique and vital space in our cultural landscape. Their work in helping positively shape future generations is of critical importance especially with the tribulations we currently face. Please keep supporting – each one, teach one!” Gilles Peterson

Christ-Stéphane Boizi: Trombone
Lauren Breen: Alto Saxophone
Kezia Abuoma: Piano
Tom Sheen: Double Bass
Sacha Harlan: Drums